Best family photo ever.

On Friday night, Kevin(my brother) and Kelsey hosted their second annual Halloween pumpkin carving party.  We happen to have some talented pumpkin carvers in our family.

Well, at the end of the evening our family decided to take a group photo.  Everyone else had left, so Brad skillfully set the camera on a trash can and set the self-timer.

Now, self-timers on camera's always make me think of my Grandpa.  He set the self-timer and ran over to get in the shot.  As he got old and older her started not making it to "his position" by the time the photo was taken.  Thus, we always ended up with photos where Grandpa is half in half out.  It usually took about 10 or so shots to get a good one.

My husband has taken over this roll.  He sets the timer and runs to his spot.  He is rather tall, so he always ends up bending down the front or just blocking someone behind him.  Self-timers are great in theory, but seem to always make for interesting photos.

This particular self-timer incident is priceless.  The below photo was the last of several attempts to capture the family with the pumpkins.  Great idea, right?  Well,  I guess by this point my sweet cousin was tired of standing still and smiling beside her brother.  The result was one large bump on the head, one little girl in trouble and a priceless family photo.

It truly doesn't get any better than this.  Look carefully.

Jump, Jump, Jumparoo

                                                                                                                                                                  We borrowed- thanks Chesson- a Johnny Jump-Up!  Lillie's first experience was, well, lets just say uneventful.

Halloween

A Halloween full of pumpkins.

Regarding lack of sleep.

When I was pregnant, I did a lot of thinking about the challenges of going back to work and having a little one.  Most of my thoughts were surrounding the heartbreak of not witnessing and participating in every discovery Lillie made.  Just writing this, I am almost brought to tears.  Brad and I are giving Lillie the best we have to offer- it is just unfortunate that our best isn't a stay-at-home mommy right now. 

However, when I was considering the trials of going back to work, I never considered that Lillie would be waking up twice a night at 4 months old.  Honestly, Lillie is a great sleeper.  We put her down in her crib awake- she puts herself to sleep and only wakes up to eat.  It's not her fault that she is little!  That being said, the lack of uninterrupted sleep has challenged Brad and me.

Well, I knew things were getting tough when I was standing in line at babys'r'us during my lunch break last week, picking up a thermometer.  The woman in front of me turned around, looked at me and smiled.  She simply said, "Being a mommy is the hardest thing you will ever do and that is okay.  It is also the best thing you will ever do."  She turned back around, checked out and walked away.  I stood stunned, wondering if I really carry every mommy challenge outwardly on my face.  I wonder, do I really look that tired?

Regardless, it is worth it.  I'm not the friend I once was, I'm certainly not the runner that I have been and my home isn't as tidy as I would like it to be.  But, I always have a smiling face when I greet my daughter and I go to sleep at night knowing that I'm doing the best that I can. 

Lillie at 4 Months!

My sweet baby is 4 months old!  Here is a quick update on my little one.

The stats..
Height: 23.5 inches  (25 percentile)
Weight: 12 lbs 8 ounces  (25 percentile)
Head: 41 cm (50 percentile)

You may be wondering how Brad and I ended up with a baby in the 25 percentile for height and weight.  Well, we are too!  I was 12 pounds at my two week visit.  Looks like we have a true McGinity baby on our hands- skinny-binny.

Lillie has a few tricks up her sleeves these days.  She has mastered rolling from her stomach to her back- which makes tummy time a bit shorter:).  She is constantly babbling and she is already learning the art of manipulation (a true woman).  Lillie smiles constantly, has a real laugh and is very observant.  She has a curious spirit.

Hopefully sleeping through the night is in her near future.  Brad and I walk around like zombies most days.  I finally understand why women are obsessed with eye make-up.  Lillie is waking up two times a night to eat and then going right back to sleep.  The doctor said she would need to be 15 pounds before he would expect her to sleep more than 5 hours!

Lillie is a wonderfully happy baby.  I'm so blessed.

           

I will stand on my chair and shout SCRAPBOOKING!

I wish I was the type of girl who made scrapbooks and photo albums detailing life.  Heck, I've always wanted to be a girl who religiously captured moments in a journal.  But, the fact is that I'm not that type of girl.  Yet, I still love looking back at the past- where I've been seems to give me the confidence to move forward to where I'm going.

I always vowed that I wouldn't end up with a drawer full of photos like my mom has at home and memories with details that are constantly being left behind.  And I haven't.  Instead I have ended up with a computer jammed full of photos- none of them printed, labeled or organized, but all of them precious.  My memories are scattered in a drawer stuffed full of cards and notes. 

More recently, I began rummaging through my mom's photo drawer and digging out tiny treasures.  I go home, sit on the floor and marvel at the days that have past.  What will my daughter enjoy doing?  Is it the same to rummage through computer files?  I find it hard to believe that that invokes a similar joy.

Maybe this blog can fill that void.  I began blogging, when I got pregnant, for Brad's family.  I wanted to do my part to connect his family with the changes that where beginning in our life.  I'm so blessed to see my family on a regular basis, and I know Brad longs for his family to be involved in our life.

Yet, I'm realizing that this blog is a simple way for my to capture the memories of our family for me- it is my photo drawer and journal.  And recently the service that www.blurb.com provides to bloggers has absolutely thrilled me.  This site will make a hardbound book of a blog- it will become tangible.  So, if you wonder why I post something- think to yourself- I bet she wants that in her scrapbook!

Exersaucer

A few weeks ago Tara, Lillie and I took a trip down to Gboro to spend some quality time with a few dear friends.  I love these girls.  There is just something a little different about friends that you lived in the same house with- so be it in our case a sorority house.  Living together forces you to be real with one another.  I pray that Lillie with have friends that are as dear to her heart as these girls are to mine.
On a side note, Lillie was considering being a mummy for Halloween and she was trying out her costume in the photo below. 

When we got back from Gboro Tara graciously offered to help me assemble Lillie's exersaucer!  If this toy doesn't make you go crosseyed, I'm not sure what will.  It even requires batteries, but thus far Lillie doesn't need electronics to stay interested in this little gem.  Lillie's first exersaucer experience!

Thanks Gist family!